Mother of child left in car tells story, tries to raise awareness

Kristie Reeves-Cavaliero started Ray Ray's Pledge to raise awareness after her daughter died in 2011 after being left for hours in a hot car.

Photo By TOM REEL/Tom Reel/Express-News

Brett Cavaliero and Kristie Reeves-Cavaliero discuss the accidental death of their daughter on September 17, 2011.

Photo By TOM REEL/Tom Reel/Express-News

Brett Cavaliero and wife Kristie Reeves-Cavaliero sit in a memorial garden at home after discussing the accidental death of their daughter earlier this year.

Photo By TOM REEL/Tom Reel/Express-News

Brett Cavaliero and wife Kristie Reeves-Cavaliero discuss the accidental death of their daughter on September 17, 2011.

SAN ANTONIO — As Kristie Reeves-Cavaliero spoke Tuesday at a news conference intended to raise awareness about children being left in hot cars, a tray of crayons melted inside a vehicle several feet away in the steamy summer sunshine.

In 2011, Reeves-Cavaliero's husband, Brett Cavaliero, left their 1-year-old daughter, Sophia Rayne “Ray Ray” Cavaliero, in his car for nearly three hours in Austin on a 90-degree May morning.

The family had slept late that day and was running late getting Ray Ray to day care. Instead of turning left to go to the day-care center, Brett Cavaliero turned right to go to work, leaving their daughter in the back seat. The toddler died of heatstroke as a result.

Why he left her in the car still haunts the couple, Reeves-Cavaliero said.

Since the incident, Reeves-Cavaliero has started Ray Ray's Pledge, an organization that aims to prevent such heat-related deaths among children. She speaks to various groups and promotes awareness on social media as well.

There have not been any recent deaths of children left in hot vehicles in San Antonio, according to the SAFD. But Mikel said the department has received 141 calls so far this year about children being left in cars, none of which have resulted in hospitalization.

During the conference, SAFD officials put a thermometer and a tray of crayons inside a vehicle to demonstrate how hot cars can get inside. The outside temperature was about 104 degrees; inside the car, it was 122 degrees. The crayons melted within 10 minutes.